


of spiders, skunks, and kisses

by autumnchills



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 12 Days of Buddiemas, 5+1 Things, Buddiemas, Canon Compliant, Family Feels, Firefam Feels, Firehouse 118 Family (9-1-1), Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Mistletoe, Multi, Pre-Relationship, Team as Family, spiders are only mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21743059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumnchills/pseuds/autumnchills
Summary: “Skunk!” Eddie’s voice roars as he runs back into the house, body colliding into Buck’s chest and forehead smacking into his chin.There’s a collective, oof from everyone in the room, but Buck doesn’t waste time. He lifts the can and sprays a giant dollop of whip cream onto Eddie’s nose.or, 5 times someone got kissed under the mistletoe and one time it was EddieWritten for Day 1 (Mistletoe) ofBuddiemas
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 450
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	of spiders, skunks, and kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Canon Compliant through 3.09!

The idea is born right after Thanksgiving. Everyone is taking turns talking about their family feasts, exchanging some of the more odd conversations and events of the holiday as they eat their own team meal at the station. Bobby had spent his day with Athena and family, including the in-laws. Hen had spent it with Karen and her side of the family. Chimney had invited Maddie to the home of some close family friends— Buck is pretty sure that Hen is the only one who’s ever met them, so it’s kind of a big deal— and even Eddie had spent the day with family, having taken Christopher to his abuela’s where much of the Diaz family had joined them from out of state. 

Buck, however, had done nothing.

“What about you, Buck?” Bobby asks innocently enough.

Bobby can see Buck’s smile falter, but never leave his face, as he responds. “I got some Chinese and then waited in Black Friday lines. I got some really great deals.” 

Some of the other firefighters don’t think much of it, but his team looks at him with something near pity. Bobby looks especially like his heart’s just been torn out and stomped on. 

“You’re kidding, right?” Hen questions, putting down the salad bowl that they’d been passing around.

“No,” Buck says slowly. “I’ve done that every year since I moved to LA. Well, a few years ago I ordered Chinese food with my roommates,” he recalls, “but we mostly just ate and then went our own ways. And I didn’t do the shopping until I had people to shop for— a.k.a last year.” 

Chimney sighs and shakes his head. “What about Ali? Weren’t you with her then?” 

“We had just started dating,” Buck shrugs. “We weren’t at the meet-the-parents stage yet. And if I remember correctly, her family is on the East Coast.”

“What about Maddie?” Chimney presses.

“She lacked holiday spirit at the time,” Buck reminds the man.

Bobby’s frown deepens. “I’m sorry, kid. No one should be alone during the holidays.”

Buck waves his hand quickly. “No, no, it’s cool. I much prefer Christmas, anyway. That’s where the holiday cheer needs to be. Plus,” he adds easily, “I’m used to Thanksgivings alone.”

Apparently, that’s an even worse thing to say because Eddie sets his mug of coffee down on the table a little too hard. 

He’s saved from whatever his friend had to say when the alarms in the station go off, but he doesn’t miss the pointed look that says their conversation isn’t over.

  
  


Not even a week later, Bobby reaches out to Eddie, and it turns out he has the same idea. Bobby talks to Hen next while Eddie messages with Maddie and Chimney about it, and soon enough everyone is in on Christmas at the Grant-Nash household. 

The plans are a little loose at first, but white elephant and dinner are a go, so one week before Christmas, Eddie corners Buck near his locker at the end of their shift.

“What did I do?” Buck asks immediately with wide and innocent eyes. 

“Nothing,” Eddie laughs. “But the team and I were talking—” Buck audibly gulps, “— and we’ve decided to do Christmas together.”

Buck’s previous suspicion turns to confusion. He purses his lips. “And by ‘we,’ you mean—”

“All of us,” Eddie clarifies. “Individual families can do whatever on Christmas Eve or on the morning of Christmas Day, but all of us and the children are doing an early dinner and white elephant gift exchange.”

Buck breaks into a large smile and starts nodding enthusiastically. He turns to his locker and starts moving stuff into his bag with a bit more pep in his step. 

Eddie can’t help but smile at Buck— the man looks happier than he has in days.

“Oh!” Buck exclaims. “When should I give Christopher his gift then?”

“You—” Eddie’s voice catches in his throat and he coughs to clear it. “You got something for Christopher?”

“Yeah,” Buck says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “And I don’t want to make the other kids jealous, you know?”

Eddie nods jerkily. “Yeah, yeah,” he mumbles, thinking it over. “Well, we usually do Christmas presents in the morning, so maybe just come sometime before we need to be at the party?” 

“Okay,” Buck readily agrees. “But let me know times  _ before _ the day of.”

—

With the back-to-back wild mishaps that usually come around the holidays, the days leading up to Christmas pass by like cars on a freeway. 

The night before, they all have a shift, and they depart with warm Christmas wishes and excitement about the next day. Aside from Eddie, they’re all used to somewhat small Christmas parties, so doing something this large for the holiday is new.

Buck stops by to see Maddie before heading home, and the two exchange presents, recalling some of their rare happy holidays together. Maddie had been in college for a good chunk of Buck’s childhood, but his memory is pretty good. 

One story that Maddie recalls with humor is breaking the game that their parents had bought Buck— by sitting on it no less.

“It wasn’t funny,” Buck insists. “The GameCube was the coolest present I had gotten, and you broke my first and only game, rendering said present, useless.”

“Psh!” Maddie scoffs. “Like Dad didn’t replace it a week later.”

“No one wants to play with their Christmas toys a week after they get them.”

“It’s not my fault that the game discs were so small,” she defends. “They were thinner than floppy discs.”

Buck hesitates, then mumbles, “Fair,” under his breath.

The next afternoon, Buck arrives at Eddie’s just under an hour before they need to head to Bobby and Athena’s.

“Hey,” Eddie greets, a soft smile on his face. He’s still in his pajamas, and he lets Buck in, walking him toward the family room. “I still need to get ready, but Christopher is wait—”

“Buck!” Christopher pushes off the arm of the couch and practically leaps into Buck’s arms. It’s not very high, but Buck catches him all the same, dropping the present to do so. Eddie curses under his breath, a hand to his chest, and Christopher giggles wildly.

Buck just laughs at the scared father and swings Christopher in his arms. He sets him down after a moment, and both of them are still laughing as he picks up the present. 

“Christopher,” Eddie softly chides his son. “What if he hadn’t caught you?” 

“My Buck always catches me,” Chris replies, voice laced with one hundred percent trust. He trains his eyes on Buck again. “Daddy mentioned a present,” he whispers.

“And your daddy was correct!” Buck shakes the box he’s holding and something rattles inside. “Let’s move to the tree so you can open it.”

The three of them shuffle over to the corner of the room where the tree is. A few opened gifts are in a small stack off to the left, and against the wall is a small pile of wrapping paper.

Buck tilts his head in the direction of the pile as he sits on the ground in front of the boy. “Ready to add more wrapping paper to this, buddy?”

Christopher smiles and takes a moment to get himself seated on the ground. Once he’s ready, he turns to Buck and makes grabby hands. 

Buck passes the present over, and he and Eddie watch on with bright eyes.

The first corner comes unwrapped and the bright red LEGO logo is revealed. Christopher gasps and his smile gets wider, something Buck didn’t think was possible. The boy’s movements speed up, and soon enough he’s looking at a box with the image of a bright red truck and little yellow people.

“Is this a firetruck?” Christopher whispers in awe.

“Yes, it is,” Buck beams.

Christopher hugs the box and thanks Buck for the gift.

“Only the best for the best kid I know,” he insists, and Eddie knows he means it.

Eddie thinks back on the conversation that had started all of today’s plans. 

_ “I got some Chinese and then waited in Black Friday lines. I got some really great deals.”  _

And he’d seen this set— or at least ones like it— before. They weren’t cheap, easily ranging from fifty to eighty dollars. 

“Buck,” Eddie whispers.

With his shoulders still hunched over his own legs, the man peers up at Eddie, chin tilted just slightly up at him. There’s a look in his eyes that scares Eddie, not because he looks threatening, but because he looks so open. 

Buck is inviting him in, and that terrifies him.

He doesn’t even remember what he was going to say.

“I’m gonna go get ready,” he tells Buck instead. 

Eddie swears the man closes up then, but the cheer doesn’t leave his voice as Buck tells him that he’ll wait with Chris, who takes absolute glee in that and insists on showing Buck each of his presents.

Eddie just hopes that Buck doesn’t stay closed forever. Yes, it terrifies him, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want whatever that was, too.

—

By the time the three of them show up, almost everyone else is already there. Bobby’s in the kitchen, Karen attempting to help, while Athena and Hen flutter around the table organizing dishes and setting out silverware. A smaller table, likely for the kids, has been set up between the kitchen and family room. 

“Where’s Michael?” Buck asks as he sets down a couple of bottles.

“And the kids,” Eddie adds.

“Harry and Denny are playing some games, and May is listening to music,” Athena explains. “If Christopher wants to go join them, he can.” 

Eddie crouches by Christopher and fixes his shirt collar. “Do you want to go sit on the couches, or do you want to join the boys for some games?” 

Christoper glances at Athena then back to him. “Can I hang out with May?” he asks instead. 

Karen laughs at the confusion that flashes across Eddie’s face. Eddie, in turn, looks to Athena who just shrugs.

Christopher doesn’t miss the question that goes unasked, though. He’s more perceptive than people assume.

“She lets me draw,” he explains. “And when I run out of ideas, she gives me one.”

“When did you guys hang out?” Eddie asks.

“Buck’s party.”

Eddie had assumed he was with Harry and Denny.

“Alrighty,” Eddie answers Christopher. “Do you need help up the—” Christopher shakes his head and sets off on his own. 

“Okay then,” he mutters. 

“They grow up so fast,” Hen muses. Eddie just hums as he watches Christopher take his time with the few steps that lead toward the entrance and the kids’ rooms. 

“And where’s Michael?” Buck asks again.

“Sick,” Athena sighs. “Fool caught the flu.”

“That sucks,” Eddie grunts. 

“Oh, but he’s got a new boo watching him,” Athena laughs. 

Buck smirks and taps the bottles. “Cheers to Michael then.” Bobby laughs and checks the timer on the oven. 

“Oh!” Athena exclaims. “There are some beers in a cooler out back if you guys want some. The cooler was getting in the way, so we left it out there.”

“Beer?” Buck offers Eddie. 

“Sure.” 

Buck heads out the back door, and Athena walks around the table to Eddie.

“What does Christopher like to drink?”

“He’s a sucker for juice pouches, but if you’ve only got water—”

“Nonsense,” she cuts him off with a wave of her hand. She pats him on the arm and passes him, heading toward the back door too, now. “We got them in the—”

“Oh!” Buck shouts, nearly running into her. “Sorry!” 

Though she looks startled, it’s Hen who starts shouting at the two of them. Everyone turns to Hen with confusion as her shouts turn to laughter.

“What is she saying?” Bobby asks.

“She’s shouting about the mistletoe,” Karen supplies, pointing above the back door’s frame. “She hung it there like ten minutes ago, and Athena told her no one would end up under it.”

Both Athena and Buck peer up at it— Buck hadn’t thought it was anything but another garland decoration.

He looks toward Bobby and smiles cheekily. “I’m sorry, Bobby, but rules are rules!” Bobby’s shout goes unheard as Buck leans down, but all he does is press a kiss to her cheek.

Everyone laughs as Bobby lets out a huff of relief. “Not cool,” he calls toward Buck.

Athena pats Buck on the chest and squeezes past him out to the backyard, a small smile playing on her face. 

“Like I would actually kiss Athena on the mouth without explicit permission!” Buck defends himself. “Not to mention that I would never do that to you, Bobby.” 

Buck gets a towel to the face and more laughter fills the air. God, he loves Christmas.

The next kiss that happens is smack in the middle of dinner.

Chimney had been outside for all of five seconds before he shouted, and Buck, having the easiest access to the back door, jumps up, with Hen and Eddie at the ready to go as well.

Unfortunately, Buck opens the door, only for Chim to collide into his chest and nearly fall back out. Chimney gathers himself fairly quickly and shimmies inside— no drink in hand.

At everyone’s blank stares, he shrugs. “There was a spider.”

Hen starts giggling first, and it’s really not funny, but then she points above Chimney’s head where the mistletoe is.

He glances up and starts shaking his head rapidly as Buck smirks with a hint of mischief.

“Buck,” Chimney sternly says, pointing his finger. “No.”

“Buck, yes,” the younger man smiles, and the kids start yelling from behind them, laughter echoing off of the walls. 

Maddie is in her seat, laughing so hard that wine nearly sloshes out of the glass she holds. 

“I hate to break this to you Chim,” Buck starts, “but you chose the wrong Buckley.”

Hen breaks out her camera just in time to capture Chimney’s disgusted face as Buck grabs it and presses sloppy kisses to both cheeks. Chimney, in turn, fakes puking and then aggressively wipes at his face. 

“I can’t believe you all just let that happen,” Chim glares, moving to his seat. “I’ve been betrayed.”

Hen immediately sends the pictures to everyone’s phones.

The next few kisses are uneventful. Bobby and Athena are the next to end up under the mistletoe, practically in the same way that Chimney and Buck had. Athena is stepping out to grab a drink, and just the same as Chimney, she shouts, and Bobby runs to aid her.

“That  _ is _ a huge ass spider,” she states, brushing the chill off her arms.

And when Buck points at the mistletoe, Bobby swoops her into a dip, ignoring her startled cry. She barely has the chance to catch her breath as Bobby plants a kiss on her mouth very softly. He lifts her back up just as fast, and she blushes as all the girls cheer. The kids, however, are no longer paying attention, far too into their own conversation. 

After that, it’s Hen and Karen, and it’s heavily set up by Hen for an excuse to kiss her wife. Though, the adults still send them warm smiles. 

Then, during the kids’ white elephant, it’s Eddie and Karen, and just like Buck did with Athena, he kisses her on the cheek, though it’s a little less dramatic. 

They all take a pause after May opens the last present, deciding on hot chocolate before the adults’ turn, a not-so-subtle attempt to extend the night as long as possible. Bobby and Athena bustle around the kitchen grabbing ingredients and mugs while everyone hangs around talking.

Buck’s so busy eyeballing the stack for the adult’s white elephant exchange that he doesn’t notice Eddie until he’s right next to his ear.

“Whatcha doing?” he questions loudly. Buck jumps and covers his ear with a wince.

“Warn a guy,” Buck mutters.

“Warning you would have given away the surprise.” 

Buck hums in acknowledgment, but Eddie can tell that he’s barely paying him any attention.

“So?” he prompts. 

“I’m trying to decide which one I’m going to pick,” he admits.

“Actual child,” Eddie mutters fondly. 

“It’s called strategy, Eddie,” Buck brags with a smirk on his lips. 

“Stop fretting,” Bobby says, entering the conversation. “Come make your cup of hot chocolate.”

Apparently, when it comes to hot chocolate, Bobby lives up to the idea of going big or going home.

Athena’s popped out some pretty big mugs, and there are at least two pots with hot chocolate on the stove. Bags of regular and mini marshmallows are out on the counter, along with cans of whipped cream, chocolate shavings, candy canes, and—

“Is that peppermint?” Karen asks, pointing at a small bowl with a spoon in it.

“Mhmm,” Bobby smiles. 

The kids have all been served and are seated at the table, and now the adults crowd the breakfast bar, lined up and waiting to be handed a mug. Eddie stands next to Buck. They’re all squished so tight that their arms overlap, but neither can be bothered to mind.

“Homemade hot chocolate?” Maddie questions, peering over the counter to the stove.

“That’s the only way this one will do it,” Athena jokes, nudging Bobby on the side. “Which is why I was in charge of the cookies.”

“Cookies?” Harry’s head pops up from between Chimney and Maddie. “From where?” He levels his mom with a critical glare.

“Albertsons,” she answers. “Sit back down and I’ll pass you some.”

A few of the adults go back and forth about that with delight. Even Buck comments on it.

“You mean you’re old enough to know what Albertson’s is?” Chimney jabs at him.

“I’m old enough to know what it is,” May counters. Chimney looks thoroughly abashed and Buck shoots the teen a smile.

“It’s like twenty minutes south of here,” Athena tells Buck, passing him his mug. “I got them on the way home from work last night.”

“Catch me detouring all the way over there just for some cookies,” Hen adds in.

“No other market can compare,” Eddie weighs in. “Ain't that right, Chris?” Christopher, who’s already working at his marshmallows with a spoon, just nods with a small smile.

“Sucks that there are so few around,” May comments then. “They better never go out of business.” She shoves a large marshmallow in her mouth then says, “Their wings in the deli are amazing,” around the fluff. Bobby just laughs at her as Athena mutters about her talking with her mouth full.

“I remember them being really bad,” Karen mutters.

May swallows harshly and nods her head. “Oh, they are,” she agrees. “But there’s something about them that is just to die for.”

“Does anyone else want some of this?” Maddie asks then, raising the can of whipped cream.

“Oh!” Buck shouts. “Me!” 

And in his rush, he bumps into Eddie, and the man’s own hot chocolate spills out of his mug and onto his hand. 

Eddie sets down the mug with a hiss, and Buck freezes in his own movements.

“Oh my God. Eddie, I am so—”

He is not expecting a hand full of whipped cream to smack him in the face. 

Everyone freezes at the sight of Buck with his jaw dropped and whipped cream, which had previously resided in Eddie's mug, sliding down his cheek. Maddie’s arm is still extended across the group.

Eddie licks at the whipped cream that’s still on his hand and smiles innocently. “Call it even?” he suggests.

A smile breaks out on Buck’s face. “Hell no.” Eddie’s eyes widen a fraction, and Buck springs into action, grabbing the can from Maddie’s hand, but Eddie is quick to slip behind him and run around the table. Buck turns to face him and the two of them circle around it before Eddie darts out the back door.

“Did you kill the spider?” Hen asks Bobby.

The man just nods as he watches Buck take off after him.

“Skunk!” Eddie’s voice roars as he runs back into the house, body colliding into Buck’s chest and forehead smacking into his chin.

There’s a collective,  _ oof  _ from everyone in the room, but Buck doesn’t waste time. Grabbing Eddie’s arm so he can’t get away, he lifts the can and sprays a giant dollop of whipped cream on to the man’s nose.

Everyone laughs at the two men, but Christopher’s giggle reaches Eddie’s ears, and he turns to see his son pointing above their heads. Eddie looks above and turns back to Buck with wide eyes and butterflies fluttering away in his stomach.

Hen catches on next and, with a big smile, starts to slowly pull out her phone.

“Uh—” Eddie hesitates, his heart leaping into his throat. “We don’t—” But his friend is already leaning down toward Eddie’s face. Buck’s head tilts a little and Eddie’s eyes cross as he watches Buck get closer.

When Buck pulls back a bit, it takes him a second to realize the whipped cream that was on his nose is now in Buck’s mouth. Buck just winks at him before swallowing the whipped cream and leaning forward again to peck his nose.

Just as quickly, Buck walks away shamelessly to join the others, and Eddie doesn’t hear anything above the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears. 

He watches as everyone goes on with their hot chocolate, completely unfazed by whatever just happened. Were the two of them so close all the time that that didn’t raise  _ some _ red flags? 

Buck turns back to stare at him, and Eddie gets that same look from this afternoon. 

So, maybe the door is still open.

Eddie just hopes that it’s open long enough for him to be ready to step through.

**Author's Note:**

> Special Thanks to my beta reader: [ohmygodwerebackagain](https://ohmygodwerebackagain.tumblr.com/)
> 
> This one took forever to write because I am not used to cute stuff, oops! Shoutout to anyone who’s ever had Albertson’s cookies and agrees with me that they are indeed the best cookies from a market bakery (at least in California!)
> 
> Also, I’m a big fan of Buck starting to understand his feelings first and Eddie needing more time to be ready. It’s not even been a year since Shannon died, so while we all wanted a mistletoe kiss, I feel like (for canon) they wouldn’t have been at that point and I wanted to write something that felt possible for them along canon lines. 
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos! Reading your thoughts on the work always makes me smile (unless they’re mean so don’t be mean). If you feel I missed some necessary story tags, or have suggestions for others to help find this fic, please let me know what it is I should add.


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